Preliminary results for pilot program released

Sahil Morar / November 7, 2018

A house in Vancouver in the late stages of construction, this is generally the close to the time inspections start to occue
( Vishal Patel)

The City of Vancouver piloted a project that would cut building permit wait-times down to under 13 weeks instead of the current average of 25 weeks.

The project is aimed to help the ongoing housing crisis faced by Vancouver Residents.

Critics of the permit wait-times range from homeowners, to property developers, to real estate agents in the area.

Vishal Patel, a real-estate agent in Vancouver, feels that any city’s bureaucratic process will be complicated.

“Any city that requires permits will be tough to get. Vancouver in general, being the most densely populated city, acquires a lot more applications, which delays the process a lot as well. It’s no one fault really” – Vishal Patel, Real estate agent

The project, Applicant Supported and Assisted Process (ASAP) aims to streamline communication between city reviewers and inspectors, as well as decrease the back and forth conversation between the city and developer by running aspects in parallel.

ASAP is also geared to ultimately lower the cost of homes in Vancouver, however Patel says its ongoing push towards the green initiative drives costs up for the developers.

Halted Construction of a house
(Pixabay)

“You sometimes get caught in a Catch 22 situation where you try to be environmentally friendly, but obviously getting there is a lot more expensive which in turn negates the way we can try and solve this housing crisis” – Vishal Patel, Real estate agent

The City of Vancouver aims to add 10,000 new ground level homes over the next 10 years using this new expedited application method. 1,300 new building permits for new and laneway homes were permitted last year alone,